NEWARK — Gov. Chris Christie believes his opponent in this year’s gubernatorial race, state Sen. Barbara Buono, made allusions to his weight during a recent campaign event — and he isn’t happy about it.

"It is unfortunate that Sen. Buono has decided to go down the same path as Gov. (Jon) Corzine did in making comments derisively about my physical appearance," Christie said at an event today at the New Jersey Institute of Technology in Newark.

Christie, who had Lap-Band weight loss surgery earlier this year, was responding to a question about an online video that shows Buono at a campaign stop joking that images of the governor "frolicking on the beach" in his "Stronger than the Storm" television commercials did not inspire her to return to the Shore.

Christie compared his Democratic opponent’s comments to commercials Corzine aired four years ago that referred to Christie "throwing his weight around."

"I am very disappointed that she has decided to go down that road," Christie said of Buono. "For me and for other folks across New Jersey — many folks — who are challenged by their weight, the fact that someone running for governor would make derisive comments about someone’s physical appearance is really beneath the office that she’s seeking. I’m disappointed that she’s done it."

A spokesman for Buono’s campaign denied the candidate was making fun of Christie’s weight.

"Gov. Christie seems to think that everything is about him. First, he defended his starring role in a federally funded ad campaign as absolutely essential to storm recovery. Now, as businesses question the effectiveness of the campaign, he says that anyone who dares to question him is somehow attacking his weight," David Turner, a spokesman for the Buono campaign, said in a statement.

Turner also included a definition of "frolic" from the dictionary.

"How does this have anything to do with the governor’s weight? Absolutely nothing. In fact, it implies someone is spry and fully of activity," Turner said.

At times, Christie has been the one to make fun of his weight.

During an appearance on the "Late Show" in early February, Christie shared a jelly doughnut with host David Letterman and recited some of the many jokes the comedian had made about his weight. During the segment, the governor pulled out a doughnut from his suit pocket. He took a bite, licked his fingers and said, "I didn’t know this was going to be this long."

Two days later, the governor lashed out at Connie Mariano, a former White House physician who said she worried he could die while in office.

Christie called her a "hack" and said "she must be a genius" because she was able to diagnose him without ever having seen or spoken to him.

But Christie has been noticeably thinner since his 40-minute Lap-Band procedure in February in New York. The surgery requires him to eat smaller meals.

When he revealed in May he had secretly undergone the surgery, he said the decision had nothing to do with speculation he was trying to shed pounds in preparation for a 2016 presidential run. Instead, Christie said he needed to lose weight for his health and his family.